GALPHARM STADIUM chiefs look to have lost out to Preston’s Deepdale in a bid to stage Manchester City in European competition this summer.

Stadium managing director Ralph Rimmer was happy to talk to City about staging their UEFA Cup first qualifying round home leg in July.

The two parties held a brief conversation about the prospect, but that was two months ago.

The tie is due to take place when City’s Eastlands home is out of action because of a Bon Jovi concert, and it now seems they are leaning towards Deepdale as a venue.

A City spokesman said: “Deepdale is a superb stadium less than an hour away from Manchester and we’ve had tentative discussions with Preston about the possibility of staging the tie.”

Rimmer said he’d been given the impression City had an alternative venue to the Galpharm.

“I’m aware of the reports linking us to the City tie, but we certainly didn’t agree anything,” said Rimmer, who hopes to be awarded at least one of rugby league’s Carnegie Challenge Cup semi-finals on the weekend of July 26/27.

“We had a brief chat in which they sounded out the possibility of using the stadium, but I was given the impression they had an alternative venue nearer Manchester.